10. Plan ahead

Some of the aspects of getting down to Brazil may take a little lead-time, and in order to avoid stressing, try to get the process rolling at least a few months in advance. A sub-tip: trying to get out of Brazil during the first week of January will cost you, and if you are planning on rocking Reveillon in Rio, you will need to get a return ticket months in advance (or just stay through January, in which case you might as well stay for Carnaval, in which case you will never leave).

9. Make sure your passport is valid (and not lost!)

This one is self-explanatory but nevertheless important. Be sure to verify that your Passport will be valid through your *whole* stay, and preferably for the 5 years that your Brazilian travel visa will be valid.

8. Get vaccinated

As we just saw in the last post about Yellow Fever, depending on where you go you may have to be vaccinated for different diseases. If you are going to Rio or São Paulo you may not need anything at all beyond Hep-A and Typhoid. If you are headed for a month-long stay in the depths of the Amazon (shoot me), you will need Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Hep-A, perhaps Malaria etc. Here is all the info about vaccinations for Brazil travel.

7. Get your Visa!!

First, determine which Visa will be appropriate for your stay (Tourist is the most common). You can use your tourist visa for 5 years, but can only stay in Brazil for 6 months out of every calendar year. Huh? Yeah it’s weird but it’s true. Also, prepare to fork over more than $100 US for your Visa, which you will need to obtain in person from the Brazilian Consulate closest to you. Why? Because that’s what the USA requires of Brazilians coming here. Actually, it’s only a portion of what is involved in trying to visit the USA, but that’s another (long) story.

If you plan on staying longer than a month or so, you should plan on registering with the Federal Police when you get down there. Kind of a hassle but not too bad, especially if you can get a Brazilian buddy to helpy ou through it.

6. Study city maps

This is one of the best things you can do to prepare for a trip to Brazil, particularly longer, urban stays. Know where you are, at least generally. Is Ipanema west or east of Copa? Is Centro north or south of the Zona Sul? These more general pieces of knowledge are surprisingly useful as oyu navigate unknown city streets.

You will notice when you get down there that almost half of major cities are not on the official maps. Avoid these areas and you will be fine.

5. Prepare your money

Here’s a list of must-do’s regarding your money

• Get some local cash ahead of time ($R – Brazilian Reais) A good friend (recently my fiancee!) gave me about $R40 before I went down once, and it helped so so much. I was able to get a cab from the airport, a quick snack and coffee, and get myself to the money exchange place with a much better rate than the airport
• Bring a few travelers’ checks But do not bring all your cash in checks, as they may be difficult to cash. In rio, for example, the only remotely reasonable place to cash them is at the Copa Palace hotel, and it can take hours.
• Your credit cards will work It may be hard to find an ATM that takes your card – hang in there, they exist – but your cards ought to work in shops and restaurants wherever you go. Obviously Visa and Mastercard are the way to go there. To be safe, maybe bring one of each.
• Keep some cash on you at all times. Provide it upon request.

4. Make some friends ahead of time

Visit Inglês Verde e Amarelo and get a free profile. From there you can add friends and chat back and forth – there are about 1,400 Brazilians there all looking to practice their English, it’s a great resource for you all. You can search in the ‘Members’ area and find people from the area you plan on visiting; I’m quite sure many of them would be happy to show you around!

3. Best plane ticket prices: www.brol.com

Period. Look everywhere, then look on Brol. I don’t know how they do it, but they always have the lowest airfares.

2. Consider buying an AirPass

Those in the know are familiar with this trick. Travel agencies can sell this terrific package only to individuals outside Brazil!! The basic idea is that you pay one low flat rate and can travel between a number of cities as many times as you wish during a 21-day period of your choice. Want to visit Rio, Fortaleza, Iguaçu and Salvador as many times as you want? That’s a little under $600.

1. Learn (at least a little) Portuguese

Ok we all saw that coming. Seriously, if you want to relax and feel comfortable in Brazil learning some basic Portuguese is key. Even a simple Tudo bom? will ingratiate you unto a great number of potential lifelong friends. You do not need to be fluent when you go, but a little goes a long way. Open the door and Brazilians will help you all along the way, I promise.

 

Bonus Tip: Visualize

Imagine yourself there. This is a powerful motivating technique that will yield confidence as you travel. Search for images of the places you are going. How are people dressed? Do people wear jewelry? Flip-flops or nice shoes? Fitting in is a terrific way of minimizing hassle and maximizing enjoyment during your trip. A sub-tip: consider buying some normal everyday clothes locally when you get where you are going. It’s amazing how much this allows one to blend in with the crowd; the subtle differences in cuts, fabrics and colors can make it obvious you are a tourist, not that that is really a bad thing, but I don’t like it personally.

Do you have any tips about traveling to/in Brazil?? I am sure you do! Please share them here in the comments…

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